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STEAM to Fuel Your Weekend – April 21

Between school, homework, practice and spending time with loved ones, it’s easy to miss out on the latest in science, technology, engineering, art and math. But don’t worry, Thinkery’s got you covered. Here are some of our favorite STEAM discoveries from the previous week. It’s fuel for your weekend.

Photo credit: MIT

Did you know that almost 97% of the world’s water is salty and undrinkable? Water scarcity is definitely a huge challenge facing humans. A team of scientists from MIT and the University of California, Berkeley created a new device that can pull fresh water out of thin air. All it needs is sunlight! This device uses a special material that can capture several liters of water each day—even when the humidity is as low as 20%. Scientists hope this technology could eventually supply clean drinking water for people in the world’s driest and poorest areas. Learn more about their research!

We’ve all seen “wash me” scribbled on dusty car windows and doors, but what about amazing works of art? Russianillustrator Nikita Golubevtransforms dirty, dusty cars into insanely detailed, highly realistic sketches! Over the last several weeks, Nikita has taken to the streets to etch images of animals onto the sides of completely filthy cars. Sharks, owls, gorillas—they’re all so cool! You can see more of his “dirty art” series here.

Have you ever wondered what an earthquake is like from inside the Earth? Using animation and data from real earthquakes, geophysicist Ben Holtzman and sound designer Jason Candler have created a stunning and intense video that captures this experience. They hope their research could lead to better safety in the future.